TRANSVESTIA

dian and I asked him about the society. He said "we have a real equalitarian society here; whites and Indians are both minori- ties but are treated with respect and there is no racial problem.

I had brought some gemstones over from the states think- ing that I might be able to sell them in Johannesburg as the friend that told me about them had done a couple of years ago. But in meantime they had begun to import them so there was no need-- and no sale. So in Nairobi I went looking for a gem merchant and located a very nice man who was both a chemist and a Ph.D. as I am myself and so we had a good acquaintance. He was an Indian ut very travelled and knowledgeable. I sold a bunch of the stones to him and traded him some more for some east African stones and did pretty well for myself. I am having the green ones which look like Emeralds made into a ring and then a couple of yellow orange garnets into stud earrings. I think I'll see if I can't become an international jewel trader and thus pay my way around the world. That would be fun.

We spent a night at Treetops which is a famous place. It consists of a hotel built on stilts among the trees and at the edge of a water hole. At nights they shine lights out over the pond and all sorts of animals come to drink and to lick salt while the tourists sit quietly on the balcony and watch. Wouldn't you know it, we brought "our" weather so it rained which cut down the animal performace quite a bit. But it was kind of exciting to be sheperded from the cars about 300 yards up the trail to Tree- tops and back again in the morning by the “great white hunter”, and intrepid Englishman of the old school--toting a loaded ele- phant gun on his arm. Seems that every now and then some of the animals get a little too curious. They have several security struc- tures along the way so in case of emergency the tourists can get in them and thus out of sight of the animals.

Next day it was back to Nairobe and the Hilton overnight and then out to Amboselli, a game preserve about 100 miles away,

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